Microsoft to continue charging licence fees for Windows Mobile

Microsoft charges $8 to $15 per device for its smartphone operating systems and has no plans to reduce this amount to "free" - even though Android is free and Symbian is likely to become free.

This is not unexpected, since Microsoft is primarily a software developer and will not be able to monetize a free operating system by selling advertisements (as Google presumably will be) or selling phones (as Nokia will be).

Steve Ballmer also took the opportunity to refute rumours that state that Microsoft is about to start manufacturing phones: "I do not anticipate us building a phone. Sorry, we are not going build one."

source: Reuters via Smartphone Thoughts